È cambiata la musica: “La mia terra” in Palazzina LAF (Riondino 2023)

Abstract

This paper explores the role of music in the Italian film Palazzina LAF (Riondino 2023), focusing particularly on Diodato’s song “La mia terra”, which was composed specifically for the film’s closing
credits. The song serves as a sonic epilogue, contrasting with the visually bleak and pessimistic tone of the narrative by introducing a space of reflection and muted hope. It transforms the end credits from a mere formal element into an extension of the film’s diegesis, adding narrative and emotional depth. In the second part of the article, special attention is given to the subtitling of the song as part of the EUniverciné project, conducted at the University of Innsbruck. The subtitles illustrate the complex challenges inherent in rendering poetic song texts across languages and media. Emphasis was placed on preserving meaning and cultural references, such as the myth of Phalantos, rather than on formal features like rhyme or meter, which are difficult to replicate in German. However, poetic features such as line segmentation, capitalization, and punctuation were retained to preserve the lyrical quality of the original.